Georgia’s presidential address vows peaceful action with Russia. In an address representing only the second time the European Parliament invited a non-member state’s president to speak, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili delivered a speech in which he pledged his nation’s diplomacy, saying that he would never use force in resolving differences with Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili: I came here to affirm that peace, a just and lasting peace, is possible in my region.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili: I personally want Russia as a partner and not as an enemy. This is why I wholeheartedly support the efforts of European and American leaders to engage Russia into more constructive relationships. I want to tell the Russian people that they will always be welcome in Georgia as partners, as tourists, as students, as businessmen, as journalists…

The Georgian leader further expressed a wish for dialog with Russia, saying that historical differences must be replaced with cooperation. His address was applauded several times by members of the European Parliament, with the legislative body’s President Jerzy Buzek stating, “We always knew that you were brave and prudent, and your message has been important for us and the whole Caucasus region.”

Your Excellency President Saakashvili of Georgia, we, too, respectfully laud your commitment to peace. May such gestures of diplomacy hasten the day when harmony and prosperity are shared among all people of Russia and the Caucasus.